Last Hurrah!

In a week from now, I will begin a 90-day temporary job with Walmart.  As a result, I have been taking advantage of this last week of freedom by travelling and sight seeing.  Last Saturday, I took off on the open road to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose.  They had two guided park events I wanted to participate in: Track Talks and a hike to Paluxey Overlook.  The discussion on the dinosaur tracks was very interesting in that I don't personally believe in evolution, which includes a belief in a young earth.  Basically, it is a belief that the earth is only 6,000 to 8,000 years old.  (For more on this, read The Young Earth by Dr. Morris.)  Then Ranger Katie took us on a non-strenuous hike to the overlook, which holds the best scenic view in the park.  Once the two activities had ended, I checked out a few other sites around the park: the Blue Hole, the Monarch butterfly area, and the park store.  After leaving the state park, I immediately headed for the small town of Glen Rose.  Considering the small population, they had quite a bit to offer.  Such stops included Barnard's Mill Historical Marker and Big Rocks Park.  The latter was a lot of fun in spite of my age and lack of physical fitness.  If only I was a kid again instead of being a kid at heart.  Climbing on top of the big boulders, I jumped to and from one another and walked quite a distance before descending to the ground.  Unfortunately, my time in Glen Rose had to come to an end as I wanted to have dinner with a friend who was in town for a few hours.  We had a great time of fellowship at Twin Peaks catching up on old times and creating new memories.  Today was supposed to have been spent in Waco checking out two particular museums; however, I kept the day's activities local due to a poor night's sleep.  Not wanting to let the time pass in unproductivity, I purchased a ticket of admission to the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens.  I hadn't been to the gardens in a number of years, and especially wanted to visit the Japenese Gardens.  There was so much more to see than my arthritic back would allow, but I was content with my two and a half hour trek in this wonderful gem.  Now I need to see what I can do during the remainder of the week.  I am very grateful for the blessings of what the city offers as I engage the world around me.  Don't let life pass you by.  Take advantage of what your surroundings offer instead of thinking you can only have fun by travelling to that "other" place.  There is magic and wonder wherever you are.

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